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Passengers faced long waits for bags over the August bank holiday, as the company announced it had “manpower shortages”.

Dan Pearson, from Kenilworth, told on Monday how he was left frustrated when he was forced to wait one hour and 50 minutes to collect his bag, after flying from Charleston, South Carolina via New York for a family wedding.

“It’s bonkers,” said the 32-year-old university administrator.

“I got through passport control fairly quickly, but it was one hour and 50 minutes before I got my bag,”

“I think it was about 45 minutes before the first bag came out.

“Everyone was getting pretty frustrated, and people were really tired after a long journey.”

Passengers wait for their bags at Birmingham airport after flight from New York (Photo: @Dondeestadan)

Baggage handlers are employed by individual airlines to deliver luggage, rather than being employed by the airport.

Dan explained that passengers grew increasingly frustrated as they were given limited information about what was causing the long wait.

He added: “I saw a couple of people go up to the desk to try and get information.

“There were a few other flights coming in at the same time, perhaps one or two other belts being used, but it certainly wasn’t full.

“It was incredibly poor service.

“I had been travelling for 24 hours, and at the end of a long flight it is the last thing you want.”

Aviator said: "Staff retention in the last six weeks has caused significant issues and restricted our ability to deliver the customer service that is required.

"We are currently reviewing our Birmingham operation as a critical situation.

"We are supporting the Birmingham operation from other stations in the UK and this weekend we are seeking extra support from our Nordic stations.’

No-one from Birmingham Airport could be contacted for comment but a spokeman previously told the Mail: “Birmingham Airport is aware that the baggage handling agent, Aviator, is experiencing manpower shortages that are impacting on the operation, in particular baggage delivery.

“Our management team has met locally with Aviator to understand the extent of the problem and we have a number of contingencies in place to support its operation and minimise disruption to our customers.

“Handling Agents are directly employed by airlines, not the airport, however the entire airport community contributes to the overall passenger experience and we will be working closely with Aviator to monitor its performance.”